Me Against the World
by Art n' Music
Summary: Life in the Gru residence is never dull. With dangerous weapons, little, fun-loving minions, and an ex-villain-turned-secret-agent dad, every day is completely different, especially for Edith. But then, one day, everything takes a dark turn. Now, her life involves people that are supposed to belong in myths, and a person trying to kill her. One question: "Why do I have wings!"
1. Origins

**Origins**

Evolution. It has shaped the world to what we see now. It has given life the ability to live and prosper. We have been using these abilities to our best advantage. We have grown, expanded, and advanced all over the planet, discovering great treasures to use for a better world. Evolution has helped us become the dominant species.

But, unknown to many, evolution has also taken us on another road.

Ever since humans have been on the planet, there have been those who had evolutional breakthroughs. Beings with abilities that are beyond a regular person's understanding. For thousands of years, their abilities have been manifesting and advancing, becoming more distinct amongst one another, much like we have. Soon, people have begun to discover these beings, these Specials. They have given those people names over the years, such as sorcerers, witches, mutants, necromancers, even gods. Some praised and worshiped them, but most feared them. That fear led to hate. And that hate led to destruction.

One by one, the Specials have been sacrificed, burned, poisoned, beheaded, drowned, and hanged. There was no end to this massacre. Seeing the truth that no one will accept us, we went into hiding. For a long time, we have lived side-by-side with the humans, keeping our talents hidden to avoid more unjustly deaths. No one had any idea who the person was standing beside them.

But it was anything but peaceful. Some Specials weren't as forgiving as others. They thought that the humans were inferior, and the way they discriminatorily killed their fellow beings, have only fueled their rage. We call them Fallen. Many times, they have tried to rid the world of what they thought was pests. The humans fought back, but many lives were lost because of their ignorance to our abilities. The only thing that have kept the Fallen from obtaining world domination have been us; the only people that can match their powers. We fought back, helping the humans to keep the common enemy back. The struggle continues between the Specials and Fallen. Many have died on both sides. Yet, despite our assistance, the humans still fear us. They still discriminate us, and some continue to murder us. So we continue to hide, and soon, our abilities have gone up in myths. Now, in modern society, we are considered a fantasy, stuff people believe is made up and can never be possible. And we're okay with that. It keeps the humans from hunting us down, and we can have normal lives.

There are small organizations of Specials that continue to fight the forces of evil. The government, and the world, has no idea we're making sure their home is not taken over. We have kept the people safe from the Fallen for years, while staying hidden from the humans. But our numbers are diminishing. Recently, there has been a greater evil at play. It has been picking off the Specials. The reason remains a mystery to us, and we have tried everything to figure out its plan.

My name is Elsa Arstider. I have been all over the world, looking for Specials to join my team. The Great Evil is moving, and fast. Whatever its plan is, it must involve the extinction of Specials. Any Specials I find, I protect with my life. I also train them to use their abilities. They're good people, but I fear I will fail to protect them. The Evil is crafty. It appears that it has no weakness. But I will never stop until it's gone. In fact, I may have found the solution.

A Special. The strongest I have ever known, yet I don't think she even knows. I've kept an eye on her for a while, observing her. She's rambunctious, to say the least, but I believe she has potential. She could be beneficial to us. But I need to hurry. I believe the Great Evil is onto the girl, as well. And I don't think it wants some of her cookies.

* * *

**Author's Note: Do not be confused. This is not a misplaced crossover. This story just has a special guest. There'll be more special guests in here, so keep an eye out. And reviews are very much welcomed. Art n' Music out.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Amongst the neighborhood track of red-roofed, white-walled houses, a black house with a dark purple roof sticks out, standing much taller than the rest. The house would give an ominous feel to those who look upon it, but the fresh green lawn in the front and various bikes and water guns dims the sentiment. Parked in front of the garage is a large, triangular-like tank vehicle with a large rocket engine suspended in the back. A square symbol in the shape of a G is painted on the broad sides. A jogging bystander strolls by the house, glances at it confusedly, and continues jogging.

Inside the house, the foyer is carpeted red, and is decorated with suits of armor, deadly weapons, and even taxidermy of a lion with a dog in its mouth, a cat in the dog's mouth, and a mouse in the cat's mouth. Some of the suits are missing their helmets and have, instead, a bouquet of flowers.

Down one hallway is a room completely different from the rest of the house. The walls are an off-white color, with various posters of bikers, skaters, bands, and others plastered everywhere. Sitting in one corner is a skateboard with a picture of a black feathered wing against a gray sky. There are also some weapons scattered all over the floor, such as a gun, katana, and nunchaku. Like any bedroom, there's a dress pressed against one wall and a nightstand next to a rather large bed. The metal headboard stretches up a bit, taller than a normal one. The four legs are designed in a wing-like fashion with an arch on both sides supporting the big mattress. Sheets with different shades of pink decorate the mattress and are all currently chaotic. A girl lays perpendicular on the bed with one leg hangs off the edge of the bed as well as one arm. She blissfully sleeps as the sun slowly escalates from the horizon, with the occasional snore. Nothing could ruin the moment.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Edith Gru wakes up in alarm and falls off her bed with a slight shout. On the carpet floor, she groans, infuriated with the infernal machine, and pulls herself back up. She adjusts her striped pink hat, which has fallen over her eyes, and then glares at the flashing digital clock that is still emanating the noise. "Stupid piece of junk."

After slamming the device with a fist a few times, finally quieting it, the blonde gets up and climbs back on her bed. Once her head hits the fluffy pillows, she's knocked out and snoring again. Unfortunately, it hasn't been a minute before another sound rudely wakes her up again.

"C'mon, Edith, get out of bed." A girl, dressed and ready, walks into the room, almost tripping on a battle axe.

With another groan, the said-girl puts the pillow on top of her head and slurs, "Five more minutes, Margo."

Margo, though grown, hasn't changed much. She still wears a skirt and converse shoes, along with a brown jacket, and her longer hair is tied in a low ponytail. The only difference is her shirts have changed to fit her age more. "The last time I relented to you, we were almost late to school," she reasons. "So get up."

"I'm sleeping." She pulls the covers over her, not wanting to be disturbed again. Margo rolls her eyes behind her glasses and walks over to the dresser, muttering, "I guess we have to do it the hard way." Opening one drawer, she pulls out a can with a red horn on the lid. She then walks over to the bed and holds the blow horn, arms-length and close to the pillow. The oldest plugs one ear, smiles a bit, and presses the button.

Instantly, a deafening noise fills the room. Edith's head shoots up, and she tries to plug her ears while shouting, "ALRIGHT! I'm up, I'm up!"

Margo releases the button and puts the horn away. After making sure she can still hear, the middle child says, "I hope you regret doing that."

"No I won't," she denies, walking out of the bedroom.

Once she closes the door, Edith slides out of her bed and walks to the standing mirror, removing a spare shirt that was hanging. Her current pajamas are a spare black shirt, wrinkled, and a pair of baggy sweatpants. Her pixie-cut blonde hair that shows is messy, but it's always messy, the way she likes it. She moves some of her bangs to the right, only for it to fall back, partly covering her eye. Her dull blues eyes look less groggy than usual this morning, though it may be because of the blow horn incident. She thinks it's funny, but some people say her eyes look almost shadow black at some points. It sounds cool, but the girl thinks they were seeing things.

Edith takes a deep breath and says, "Today had better be different." Suddenly, she twists her head to the window behind her. Nothing shows but the neighbor's lawn and house. Funny; she thought she saw something at the window from the mirror. Walking to it, the blonde opens the window and looks outside, just to be sure. Finding nothing, she shrugs and closes the window, then starts getting dressed.

Downstairs in the kitchen/dining room, Agnes, the youngest of the three and recently thirteen, is already at the table. Agnes has changed her clothing from blue overalls to regular blue shorts and different colored striped shirts. Her hair is still put in a high ponytail, but the end bends down a little. The youngest watches her adoptive father, Felonius Gru, ex-villain and now secret agent, flips and tosses his pancakes. Lucy Gru-Wilde, the girls' adoptive mother, reads the current news on her tablet while sipping a cup of coffee. When Margo enters the kitchen, Lucy looks up and asks, "Margo, what was that noise?"

"A blow horn," she casually says, taking a seat opposite of her sister.

"Edith refused to get up?"

"Uh huh." She whips out her cell phone and answers a text from her friend.

Later, Gru places the last pancake on a stack of others, each a different shape. No sooner has he plops the pancake, Edith walks in, dressed brown pants, white boots, and a short-sleeved pink shirt with a winged heart on it, and takes the plate with a "Thank you."

"Whoa there, Edith. Don't forget to share with your sisters," he says in his exotic accent.

"Yeah, yeah." She gives each sister two pancakes, leaving herself with three.

As they eat, the parents try to make conversation with their children. Lucy asks, "So, Margo, do you know what you wanna be when you get out of high school? You know, the AVL is always asking for new recruits."

"No thanks, Lucy. I already know what I want to be."

"And that would be?" Gru asks.

"Well, I'm still deciding whether I want to be an astronaut or an archeologist."

"Really?" Lucy and Agnes simultaneously say.

"Yeah. There are still so many secrets all around us. Secrets that I want to discover. If you think about it, we've only scratched the surface."

The youngest says, "That'll be so cool."

"Well," the redhead chuckles, "They seem interesting."

Margo smiles and turns to her blonde sister. "So Edith, what do you want to do?"

After swallowing a mouthful of pancakes, she answers, "Probably join the AVL like mom. I mean, come on. They have awesome weapons, cool vehicles, and death-defying missions. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Someone who wants to live," Agnes mutters, receiving a few snickers and an annoyed expression from her sister.

"Actually, not all our missions are 'death-defying'," Lucy says, using air-quotes. "Most of the time, it's merely undercover work."

"You want me to join the AVL or not?"

"Why are you asking me? If you want to do it, then I say go for it. I won't stop you. Ooh, maybe we can have a mother-daughter partnership mission!"

Edith sighs while shaking her head, "Oh boy,"

"I thought I was your partner!" Gru exclaims.

She taps his cheek and says, "Oh, don't worry, Gru. You'll always be my partner."

The oldest sister checks the time on her phone, and she says, "Well, we best be going if we're going to arrive to school on time." She grabs her dish and puts it in the sink before walking to the garage. "C'mon girls."

The sisters put their dishes in the sink also and follow the eldest, though Edith a little reluctantly.

"Have fun girls! Love you!" their mother says.

"Love you too, mom!" they call back. Gru kisses each of them on the forehead as they walk out to the front door and says, "Don't get in trouble now. I better not get another call that the cafeteria was blown up. Edith…"

"One time!" she shouts and Agnes giggles.

The trio head to a black 2014 Ford Mustang parked along the curb. Margo walks to the driver's side and unlocks the door, and Agnes gets in the back seat while Edith jumps into shotgun. "So, Margo, when I get my license, will you let me drive this baby?"

"Uh, no. In fact, I'll be surprised if you do get your driver's license."

"You don't have faith in me?" she asks in mock offense.

The youngest sister says, "To be honest, your driving is a bit…crazy."

"Says the girl who still believes in unicorns. Okay, if I have to, I'll tone it down. Besides, what I really want to drive is a motorcycle."

"For some reason, I don't have trouble seeing that." The brunette slams the door and starts the car up.

The father closes the door while rolling his eyes. Walking back to the kitchen, he finds his wife on the phone, talking briskly. He's wondering what could be wrong when the redhead hangs up and turns to him. "That was Silas. He wants us at the base immediately."

"Why? Does he want more honey for his tea and another double bacon burger?" he jokes with a chuckle.

Lucy lightly punches him on the shoulder. "Stop it! This is serious."

"Alright. Alright, let's go."

They head to the living room and Gru, in his usual coat and scarf, presses a button on his rhino chair. The two columns on both sides move out, revealing hooks at the top. They tip inward and clasp the wheels on the cannon that is hanging, lifting it until the magnets unclip. The cannon is then put on the floor and the face slides back, revealing a glowing elevator. The floor with the gator couch and flat screen TV suddenly lifts up to show a spacious room with a raised platform waiting. Gru and Lucy hop into the cannon, and the columns move the elevator onto the platform. The platform then lowers the two into the secret lab.

As the move down, they pass metal beam upon metal beam filled with little yellow creatures in blue overalls with the Gru logo, known as minions. Despite being similar in clothing and body shape, each one is completely different. Some of two goggled eyes but others have only one. Some have bristle hair, combed hair, or sprout hair, either long or short. Currently, they're doing a variety of work from fixing parts of the lab to transporting hazardous warheads. Some minions sit on the metal beams, eating their lunch. One minion takes a banana out of his lunchbox and was about to peel it when the others around him scream, "Banana!"

He nervously glances at all his friends staring hungrily at him, more specifically the yellow fruit. He gulps, and all the minions jump on him. They juggle the banana until it falls off the beam, bouncing around until on a table. Another minion on the floor spots the banana. "Ooh. Banana. Hahahaha." He reaches for the delicious produce when a crusher smashes it, along with his hand. He screams and quickly pulls the hand out, now flat as paper.

The two agents exit the elevator when it stops and walk past the minions. Lucy says hi to some of them as she passes by, and they cheerfully say hi back. They also pass Dr. Nefario, an elderly man with wisps of white hair and inventor of Gru's gadgets, who is currently working on another invention. He looks up from his work and spots the couple. "Hey there, Gru. Hello, Lucy."

Lucy says, "Hi Dr. Nefario."

"Dr. Nefario! How are the drones coming along?"

"See for yourself." He grabs a controller and starts tapping on the touch screen. After a few commands, the four small, UFO-shaped objects on the table split into four legs and revealing a camera inside. They roll around on treads, and the cameras catch whatever is going on, showing them in four different views on the computer nearby. Gru laughs at the success and Lucy claps and jumps.

"Way to go, Dr. Nefario."

Suddenly, the four drones collapse and the cameras shut down. The ex-villain stares at the bots then gives the inventor a confused look.

"Yeah, still working on the energy capacity."

"Don't worry, Nefario," the redhead says, "you'll be able to fix it."

"Yeah. We believe in you. Now, if you excuse us, we need to get going."

The two return heading to the garage. As they pass more minions, Gru stops and says, "Dave, Stuart, come with us. We may need an extra pair of eyes and ears."

Two minions drop what they were carrying onto the other minion's arms and rush after their leader/father figure. One has only one eye and the other has two eyes, and both of their hair is nicely combed.

Once at the garage, they walk to a blue suburban parked next to Gru's motorcycle. Lucy used to have a compact car of the same color that seated two, but since entering to the family, she had to get a bigger car. But it still has different gadgets and modes hidden inside.

The wife unlocks the car and gets in the driver's seat, Gru sits in the seat next to her, and the little yellow men get in the back. When they're all buckled, the driver presses a button on her dashboard the raise the door. A section of the front yard opens and Lucy drives out onto the road.

They drive for a while, heading toward the docks that lead out to the ocean. A few spectators in the way scream and jump to safety as the blue car barrels past them. To their shock, the car doesn't stop and drives off one pier, spooking a fisherman. The vehicle splashes into the saltwater and sinks underneath.

Of course, Gru and Lucy are not new to this. She merely presses another button, and the car quickly shifts into a submarine-like vehicle. Gru, meanwhile, reads a book that Edith seems to really like. So far, he doesn't see the appeal.

"Wha'cha reading there, Gru?" Lucy asks.

"Oh, some fantasy novel that Edith is really into. Funny, I never thought of her as the type who would like sorcery and dragons and angels."

"Well, maybe we don't know her as much as we thought."

Later, a much larger, and more traditional, submarine appears from the darkness. Lucy drives her own sub along a flashing runway to a door, which opens when she presses another button on her dashboard. Once inside, the door seals behind them and the water trapped drains in a heartbeat. A large scrubber extends from the wall and shines the car. Next, a large air blower appears and quickly dries the excess water. Lastly, a squeegee comes from the ceiling and wipes the windshield.

"Is that really necessary?" Gru asks.

In answer, the female agent shrugs her shoulders.

Once the car's dry, the platform it's on lowers into the main headquarters of the AVL. Once the floor stops in the middle of circular desk, the two agents plus minions exit the vehicle and turn to the director: Silas Ramsbottom.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," he says.

Lucy says, "It's not a problem."

"Alright Mr. Sheepsbutt," Gru starts, making the minions burst into giggles, "what was so important that we had to come ASAP?"

"It's Ramsbottom, Mr. Gru," he corrects, clearly not amused. "And I called you here because we seem to be coming to a crisis." A butler comes in and with a tray of tea items. He pours tea into one cup hands it to the director. "Have you heard of the deaths that have been happening recently?"

The redhead agent answers, "Uh, yeah. I mean, they're all over the news. It's like the first thing they talk about whenever it happens."

"Wait, wait, hold up;" Gru intervenes, "I thought you weren't interested in someone killing a person."

"We aren't. But our research has proven that these murders have a deeper meaning. One, the deaths have been happening all over the world, but in a seemingly random order. Methods of killing are unknown, and the people that are killed is also haphazard, going from men of important standards to mere bystanders. So we can't pinpoint the culprit. Plus, a few days ago, we were able to intercept this transmission, taken a few days ago."

A large screen lowers to the meeting floor and the lights dim. Gru, Lucy, and the minions turn to the screen, which now shows a thin blue line. The blue line suddenly starts jumping, mimicking the sound wavelength of the demonic voice.

"I am sure you and your little childcare center already know who I am, for I am the Great Evil. I have been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to execute my plan. That opportunity has finally come. I am the one that has been murdering the people. The reason: they are the only ones who have a chance to stop me. I don't want anyone to ruin my preparations! the humans you protect are more than worthless; they don't deserve to be the dominance of this planet. You are all blind. They know no care for us.

"I know you will try and stop me, but it is too late. I shall kill every last Special in this world. There is no stopping the inevitable.

"The Fallen shall rise again!" The transmission ends, and the screen returns to its resting point.

At this point, Gru and Lucy are beyond bewildered. The ex-villain asks, "What was that?"

"Yeah. What did he mean? The Fallen? Specials? What are those?" Lucy adds.

"We don't know," Mr. Ramsbottom plainly states. "We have been trying to descramble the voice, as it appears to be modulated. But we have come up empty-handed. We also have our best researchers trying to find any information on the Specials and this 'Fallen'."

"When you said you intercepted this transmission, does that mean it wasn't meant for us?" Lucy asks.

"Correct. But the transmission's original destination is unknown, as it was encrypted."

Gru asks, "So, what do you want us to do? Go undercover again in another Mission: Impossible deal?"

"Hardly. I want you two to keep a careful eye out. If you find anything suspicious, contact us immediately, and we'll check it out. And Gru, considering your background, I want you to figure out possible villains for us to look at."

"Okay. I have heard of a lot of villains, but none of them match with this person's methods."

"Still, look into it. I want as much information as possible. This may be our most mysterious case, yet. You are all excused."

* * *

The black mustang parks in front of Jacobson Middle School. Agnes hops out and says, "Bye guys!"

"Bye Agnes! Have fun at school," Margo calls back while Edith gives a wave. The brunette drives off as the youngest walks through the double doors, chatting with her friends. As Margo drives, the blonde takes a break from her phone and asks, "So, Margo, find any interesting boys yet?"

"Why?" she asks cautiously.

"Oh, no reason. Just that I might make fun of you in front of him."

"Well, luckily for me, no."

"Seriously? You're not still going on about the incident with Antonio _five years ago?_"

The brunette doesn't say anything for a while, so Edith thinks the conversation is over. She goes back to her phone when her sister says, "You wouldn't understand."

She looks back and sees the hurt from back then radiating from her eyes. She sighs and says, "Alright, maybe I won't. But, if you ask me, you need to forget about him and just move on."

"Says the girl who pushes guys away all the time," Margo states with a smirk.

The blonde tries to make a comeback, but finds herself tongue-tied. She sits back on her chair and mutters, "It's not my fault I don't see the guys attractive."

"Actually, attraction is based on what a person thinks of him, her, or it. So, it kind of is your fault."

"Why are you so much smarter than me?"

"I don't use class time as bedtime," she answers as she parks into the student parking lot. The sisters hop out of the car, and Edith says, "Well, another day stuck in the prison of today's society for teens: High school."

Margo says while grabbing her bag from the back, "Stop being so dramatic. School isn't bad. Where else are you going to learn mechanics and technology?"

"Easy. Dr. Nefario." She grabs her backpack and hikes off the doors with Margo close by, shaking her head in amusement.

Unknown to the high school teens, two beings stand at the edge of the school's roof, looking out at the people down below. Both cloaked in black, the male of the two holds up high-tech binoculars, examining each student that passes. The female glances around, keeping an eye for any trouble that might appear. In her hand is a readied bow, and a quiver is slung on her back with about forty arrows.

The boy carefully checks all the students within his sight for anything suspicious. When Edith comes to view, he stops and follows her as she walks toward them. He lowers the binoculars and presses his fingers against his ear, switching a small device on. "Elsa, we have eyes on the girl. She appears to be unaware of her talents. What shall we do now?" he reports in a slight Scottish accent.

"Keep an eye on her. She may not know who she is, but that doesn't mean she isn't in danger. Give me another report later. And, God forbid, if a minion of the Evil appears, contact me immediately."

"Alright." He cuts contact and says to his companion, "Let's get going."

She nods, and the two head toward a good place to look after Edith.

* * *

**To add a little fun, I challenge you, the readers, to guess who the two mystery guests are. If you guess correctly, congrats! If you guess wrong, hey, at least you tried. I just want to see what you guys and girls come up. Hope to see the reviews pile up. Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Okay, out of the 342 views, only two people reviewed? What's up with that? Alright, let's try something else: If you guess who one of the agents or the Special are, then I will use a character you like in my next story. **

**Here are a few hints:**

**1\. one agent is from a Disney Pixar movie **

**2\. the other from a DreamWorks movie **

**3\. the said-Special from an Anime/Manga. **

**At least review what you think of the story; what's good, what needs some work, anything! At least try. I'll post the next chapter, and answers, when I reach ten reviews. Until next time!**

* * *

**C****hapter II**

In the lab, Gru has explained everything he, Lucy, and Mr. Ramsbottom talked about at the meeting to Dr. Nefario. He was just as confused as the rest of them. He has never heard of any villains named the Great Evil. They suggest it could possibly be a villain just starting out, much like Vector. After asking, Silas had the transmission copied and sent to Gru's computer. Currently, Dr. Nefario is trying to demodulate the transmission's original voice to help pinpoint the owner. So far, he is unsuccessful.

Gru searches through the villain website in the living room, trying to refresh his memory. So far, all he's found is articles about the return of El Macho, which he finds quite annoying. Minions here and there work on their assigned chores, such as cleaning dishes, dusting, and magazine organizing. Phil, dressed in a maid's outfit for some odd reason, goes down the hallway, vacuuming the dust while dancing to his own tune. The ex-villain rolls his eyes and tries the news website.

Meanwhile, Lucy is out shopping at Paradise Mall, wearing her usual outfit with her blue jacket. While she collects everything on her list, mostly food, she's looking around for anything that could help explain her situation. The information from the voice clip has been bugging her for a while now. The way the Evil talked about the people, as if he's not one of us, is all so confusing. If he's not a human, than what is he?

Maybe he's related to the Specials he was talking about. But that idea only hits another dead end. What are Specials? And what is the Fallen? The old robot from Transformers 2? It sounds wacky, but it could be true.

With all these thoughts bouncing in her head, the redhead is starting to get a headache. Too many questions, too little answers. She wishes something would come up and help her.

Suddenly, she accidently runs into someone, having been too preoccupied to notice her surroundings. All the bags in her hands drop and spill their contents everywhere.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," the woman apologizes, already bending down to help pick up the stuff.

"No, no. It's alright. I should've been paying more attention anyway," Lucy says as she also gathers the products. As she cleans up, the agent examines the individual.

Her skin is pale with a light dusting of freckles on her face. Her side-braided blonde hair seems to catch the light, making it look platinum. Her blue eyes seem to shine as bright as an ice crystal. Her clothing is the standard pants that hug her legs and designer shirt with a blue jacket, and yet she seems to hold an air of elegance, almost regal-like. _Maybe her ancestors were of royalty, _Lucy thinks.

After putting the last item in the bag, Lucy grabs the bag and gets back up, along with the woman. She says, "Again, I'm really sorry."

"It's alright. It was just an accident."

"Okay, then," she smiles. "Um, do you need help?"

"Uh…" the agent is carrying four plastic bags in her hands. She didn't realize it before, but her arms are starting to ache from the weight, and she won't be able to get her car keys out of her purse. "Yeah, sure."

The woman grabs two bags and says, "I'm Elsa, by the way. Elsa Arstider."

"Lucy Gru-Wilde."

While the two women walk toward Lucy's car, the redhead asks, "So, are you new here?"

"Yeah. We've only recently moved here; my sister and I. To try and start a new life."

"Hmm. So, what's your sister's name?"

"Anna. She's very…eccentric, in a sense, but she can be very caring once she puts her mind to it. And she always has my back."

"That sounds nice." Lucy notices that Elsa seems a bit fidgety, and she keeps shifting her eyes away. "You seem nervous. Is everything alright?"

"Actually, I haven't hung around people. My life was pretty…isolated before I came here. I'm used to my sister helping me with how society works, but this is my first time alone. I'm kind of afraid I'd embarrass myself because I don't know how to work an elevator."

"Oh my. Why were you so isolated?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. It still hurts to think about it."

"Oh, okay. Sorry."

"It's alright. You didn't know."

They finally arrive at the car. Lucy opens the back and the two women place the bags inside. "Thanks for the help, Elsa," Lucy says.

"It was no problem. Nice meeting you, Lucy.

"Yeah. You too."

She starts walking away and says, "Bye. Until next time."

"Hope to see you soon!" She hops into her car and starts it up, but then looks back at the retreat figure. Her gut is telling her that there's something not right about her. Of course, she could still be winded up from the creepy transmission and her task.

* * *

The next morning, everyone is in the kitchen again, except Edith is actually on time, and Lucy is on her tablet, listening to something. Margo looks up from her food and, for curiosity sake, asks her mother, "What are you listening to?"

She unplugs one ear and answers, "Oh, nothing. Just a little something for work."

"Like what, exactly?" Edith asks with a smirk.

"Well…" She looks over at Gru, who is cooking some more bacon.

"You might as well tell them. Knowing Agnes, she'll be able to hack her way to it at lunch."

Agnes gives them an adorable, sheepish smile.

Lucy sighs, "Alright. We received a transmission two days ago, and Gru and I are trying to understand what the person is saying. Everything about it is just so confusing. It befuddles Dr. Nefario."

"Why don't you play it for us? Maybe we can help," Margo suggests.

"Okay. But, fair warning, it's a little disturbing." She unplugs the ear buds and plays the transmission.

Once they've heard it, Agnes is the first one to speak. "That man sounds scary."

"Who is he? Satan?" Edith asks.

"We don't know. He just refers himself as the Great Evil. For all we know, it could be someone like Agnes playing a prank. Hopefully, that's all it is."

"Don't rely on that too much. That feeling is practically a lying bitch."

"Edith! Language!"

"Sorry! Sorry." The middle child turns to her older sister and sees her deep in thought. "What's on your mind, Margo?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I was just thinking what the guy said. Do you have any idea what he meant by 'Specials'?"

Gru answers, "Not a clue."

"Yeah. It's been bugging me all the time," Lucy adds.

"Well, this might sound ridiculous, but maybe he meant people that were different from everyone else. Like, they have powers. If you think about it, they are a sort of special person."

Agnes starts listing, "You mean like magic, necromancy, controlling weather, pyromancy, that kind of stuff?"

"How do you know all that?" asks Edith.

"I read a lot of fantasy books. What'd you expect?"

"Okay, but don't forget telekinesis, laser eyes, super strength, teleportation, and x-ray vision. The more sci-fi powers."

The redhead thinks over what her daughter said, and states, "I never thought of it like that. You may be onto something there."

"Yeah, but that is not possible. I mean, sure, if they have the technology to do all those things, it could possibly be true. But we have never had any reports on those kinds of people," Gru says. "If they are real, they would have left a mark or something."

"Like I said before, it sounds ridiculous. I don't even know why I brought it up." She looks over at the clock and finds it's almost time for school. "Alright girls, let's get going."

"Have a nice day at school, girls!" the mother shouts as they exit the house. She turns to her partner and asks, "You think she may have a point?"

"I don't know. If there are people like what she said, then they are a black belt master at staying hidden."

Outside, the girls continue their usual routine. With Agnes in the back, Margo was about to climb into the driver's seat when she notices Edith standing a little away, clutching her head. "You okay, Edith?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," she murmurs. "It's just…My head suddenly started hurting. It's gone now." She jumps onto the passenger seat and says, "Let's go."

Margo gets in and, casting a weary glance toward her sister, starts the car.

Hiding behind the roof of a house, the two figures watch the car drive away. The girl removes her scope, showing ocean blue eyes. "What happened?" she asks in a thick Scottish accent.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling it wasn't a normal headache," the male says. His earpiece beeps and he listens for a bit. After acknowledging, he shuts it off and gets up, handing the girl the earpiece. "Keep looking after her. If her powers are revealed, or if the Evil's minions appear, contact Elsa."

"What about you?"

"I received orders about another Special nearby. I'll meet you back at the base."

"Alright. But if you fight any minions, you owe me a match in the Pit."

"Deal."

With that taken care of, the female salutes and starts jumping roof-to-roof, keeping the black mustang in her range.

* * *

Later, the female lands on a building across from the high school Margo and Edith go to. After making sure she's well hidden, she raises her scope and instantly finds the blonde in one of the classrooms, snoring and drooling. "Well, that's attractive. Ugh, I really hope Elsa is not mistaken about her."

Inside the classroom, the teacher's long, monotonous speech about speech is leaving most of the students dreary-eyed. Somehow, though, a few of the students are actually able to take notes.

Unfortunately, his droning talk has knocked Edith out. Danielle, a pony-tailed black haired girl with an unusual white streak glances at the body next to her and snickers. "Always sleeping," she whispers. So the blonde doesn't get in trouble again, she lightly kicks her leg, and Edith snaps awake, accidently shouting, "Present!"

Most of the class snickers, and the English teacher stops his rant and turns to Edith. "Miss Gru, I have already taken roll. I already know you're here." He then returns to his lesson.

The hat-wearing girl slumps in her chair, her cheeks reddening slightly from embarrassment. She glares at Danielle, who gives her a sheepish smile and a silent "Sorry."

To everyone's relief, the bell finally rings. The students rush out of their classes to get to their next class or to their hangout with their friends.

While walking through the teen-packed hallways, Edith says to her friend, "Thanks for embarrassing me in front of the whole class. Did you have to kick me?"

"I'm sorry. I was trying to help you _not_ get in trouble again. It would've been, like, your fiftieth time sleeping in class."

"Well, next time, just let me. Besides, Mr. Whale is blind as a bat."

"That is true. But he isn't deaf."

"Are you saying-"

"Were you sleeping _again_, Edith?" someone asks.

The said-girl turns around to find her smiling sister leaning against the lockers, books in hand. The blonde stuffs her hands in her pockets and casually says, "Maybe."

"Yes," Danielle answers.

"Hey!"

Margo sighs, shaking her head, and says, "I told you; you need to go to bed earlier. Not enough sleep can be bad for your health."

"That's why I make it up on the weekends and the boring classes, which are English, History, and Health."

"Edith, you need to start paying attention more, or else your grades will slip. How are you supposed to get a good job then?"

"Dr. Nefario's assistant," Edith suggests.

"You can't rely on him. He won't be around for much longer. Truthfully, I'm surprised he made it this far," her sister says.

Edith's friend asks, "How old is he?"

"70 next month."

"Seriously?" She turns to her friend in disbelief, and Edith nods to confirm it. "Wow. She's right, Edith. He doesn't have that much life left."

"Guys, guys! Give me a break, alright!? Believe it or not, my average grade is an A-, a pretty good grade. So I don't understand why you keep bugging me for just dozing off a bit in class. I'm not the only one who does it in this school, you know!"

Margo and Danielle are stunned at her sudden burst. Sure, she's gotten mad before, but it was never directed at them. Edith sighs and rubs her eyes, now feeling remorseful. She knows they're just trying to help her out. And she just snapped at them.

The eldest sister steps to her sister and says sympathetically, "Edith, I know you're doing your best. But, I care for you, and I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you to be with the wrong crowd, that's all."

"Yeah," Danielle steps in, "You know I would never make you mad on purpose. Neither would your sister."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she says. "It's just…I've been having a sour day. This headache has been bothering me nonstop."

Margo says, "I thought you said it was gone."

"I thought so, too. But it keeps persisting. And to top it off, my back is starting to hurt."

"Why? We weren't in PE today," her friend says.

"I don't know! It just…happened."

"Maybe you should see the nurse," Edith's sister suggests.

"No, no. I'll be fine. I'm sure it'll pass soon enough."

The others aren't quite convinced. But, they know that Edith is strong, so they let it slide, for now. Margo says, "Okay, if you're that sure. I'll see you later." She leaves toward her next class.

"Later," Edith calls. Her friend then says, "C'mon. We better get going if we don't want to be late."

The two walk down a slightly cleared hallway, picking up the pace to get to their class on time. During the entire speed-walking, Edith can't help but think of the enduring sting in her back. It almost feels like something is growing out of her spine.

Luckily, her next class is PE, and that always lifts her spirits.

Their teacher, Coach Kraze, is the youngest teacher in the school, and he seems to know what teens want. With every lesson recommended in the curriculum, he somehow puts fun twists to it, making the teachings feel more exciting. What's even better, he loves dodgeball and kickball. So much it's more like a slaughterhouse. Some of the teens even call him Coach Crazy because of his style of 'learning'. Yet, he's the best teacher Edith could ever have.

Edith and Danielle enter the locker room and find it empty, with the exception of a few stragglers. They change into their PE clothes, and Danielle heads off to the gym, but the blonde stays back for a minute. Her back still hurts, and she can't help but think why. She turns to the mirror in the bathroom section and, getting an outlandish idea, takes off her shirt and checks her back.

Nothing but skin. Of course there was nothing. She's just becoming paranoid. With that done, the middle child puts her shirt back on and rushes out into the gym.

With all the students sitting on the bleachers, Coach Kraze walks up to the middle of the gym, holding a red, rubber ball. Teens already start murmuring about the inevitable, and Edith and Danielle grin, already tasting victory.

"Alright kids, listen up! We all know what'll happen, so I'll skip the speech and go straight to team-placing," the coach says. He is still pretty young, in his early twenties. His dirty-blonde hair is cut short and he's growing a mustache on his chiseled face. Underneath his shorts and school T-shirt is a lean amount of muscle, making him strong but fast enough to beat a cheetah. Next to being a gym teacher, he also coaches football, soccer, swimming, track and field, and baseball. And all the players say the same thing: Coach is crazy!

"Abbi and Michael, you're on that team." He points to the right of the gym. "Mel and Bryce, you're on that team." He points to the left. "Danielle and Edith," Before finishing, he smiles, already seeing the competition become fiercer than ever. "You're on opposite teams."

"Say what?" they ask.

"You heard me."

The two friends look at each other for a second then smirk maliciously.

Edith bets, "First one out has to buy the winner's lunch."

"Deal." They shake on it and head to their appropriate teams.

_This is going to be good,_ Kraze thinks, still having the grin on his face. He shouts, "Alright then, you all know the rules! Anywhere on the body counts with the exception of the head. Bounce-outs do not count. Catch one in the air, the person who threw it is out and a member can return. Three, two, one!" he blows the whistle.

Everyone rushes to grab the dodgeballs that are lined in the middle. A few teens stay back, including Edith. She sees that most of the runners are on the other team, so they'll be able to reach the balls first and pick the other team out. Sure enough, the other team gets most of them and is already taking out teens who tried to make a run for them. Five members of Edith's team are out, whereas the other team only lost one.

"They never learn," she mutters.

One by one, teens are going out and back into the game. Everyone is shouting and screaming as they receive new bruises and dodging the rubber bullets that are flying everywhere. It's chaotic, anarchic, a madhouse; that's how Edith likes it. Everything is so thrilling around. One false move could end your game. Now, if only these were dangerous projectiles.

With the ecstasy of the game occupying her, the blonde almost doesn't acknowledge the headache or the pain in her back. Almost. It still nags in the back of her mind, and it's slowly making her lose concentration.

She also notices that, slowly, her team is dwindling, despite all her marksman shots. Soon, it is only Edith and three others against seven. Seeing that winning is becoming slim, she looks at the other side and sees Danielle smirking triumphantly. She can already taste the free food.

_Dream on, Dani,_ she thinks. "It's time to kick it up a notch."

Her friend is the first to throw. The next throw comes from a rather large boy with more muscle than brains. The two rubber balls zip through the air, targeting the middle child of the Gru family. She tenses up, her mind going a thousand miles an hour, waiting for the right moment.

_Wait…_

_Wait…_

When they are just a foot from hitting their mark, Edith puts all her strength in her legs and jumps, twirling horizontally. The teens and teacher watch in awe as the first ball flies underneath her back, coming mere millimeters from touching. It, instead, nails a surprised boy on the shoulder. The blonde grabs the second ball, performs one more spin, and throws it as hard as she can back.

With it whistling back, the brute panics and jumps to the side. Unfortunately, Danielle could only gawk before the dodgeball smacks her in the abdomen and sends her skidding back a little. She lifts her head up, slightly discombobulated, and pants, "What in the…"

When she lands, Edith looks at her handiwork and is surprised. Danielle is getting up five feet from her original position, a look of astonishment on her face. After a small moment, the blonde's shock turns to delight and she celebrates, "Haha, yes! That's right! Free lunch for me! Whoo!"

"Eat this!" She's suddenly cut off when a rubber ball nails her in the face, causing her to fall. The ball, meanwhile, flies straight up in the air.

"Hey! That is so a foul!" Danielle angrily shouts, though the coach is three steps ahead of her by blowing his whistle.

Edith lifts her dazed head up, revealing a bloody nose. She looks over at the other side of the gym, and white-hot fury bubbles inside when she sees Brett, the wrestler who tries to beat Edith at everything, laughing his butt off. Growling a bit, she jumps to her feet and looks at the falling dodgeball. Using every bit of strength she has, the blonde springs up toward it, arm outstretched. Everyone practically has their jaw on the floor as they watch her fly. Even Brett is too stunned to mock.

In the air, Edith grabs the ball, twirls once, and pitches it back at breakneck speed. Before he has time to react, the rubber ball slams into Brett's stomach and sends him crashing into the padded wall.

The hat-wearing sibling lands on the floor with a conquering grin, but it disappears when she sees her enemy on the ground, clutching his stomach, hardly moving. Teens have already started circling him, and the coach is checking to see if he's alright. He looks over at the stunned girl, and Edith can see the worry and fear in his eyes. She glances around and sees that everyone has the same fear as they start chatting. With all the apprehensive talking in the room aimed toward her, she takes a few steps back then rushes into the locker room.

Danielle watches her friend head inside, a mixture of surprise and worry on her face. Looking between the locker room and the recovering Brett, she mutters, "Something's not right."

Inside the girls' locker room, Edith hastily splashes water on her face after cleaning up the blood, her mind still reeling on the event. While leaning against the sink, she takes deep breaths to try and calm down, but she can't help but think of her sudden aggression. It was almost like something inside of her woke up, and it was mad. She couldn't think clearly. All the girl can remember is unbridled fury, the urge to injure, and all the teen's anxiety toward her. It was almost like she became a monster. The blonde looks at her reflection and sees that her skin is slightly pale and her eyes don't have their usual spark. She actually looks scared. "What's happening?" she pants.

Now that the adrenaline has worn off, Edith can't help but notice her head pounding like a bass drum, and the burning pain on her back seems to have doubled in intensity. She does a sharp intake when the pain flares up; spreading down her arms and lower back. Something seems to want to burst out yet can't. Her arms are shaking and her knuckles turn snow-white as she grips the sink tighter. The pain is starting to become unbearable for her. She just wants it to go away.

"Edith?"

As if by some switch, the pain subdues quickly, though not vanishing. Realizing she was holding her breath, the said-girl exhales before turning to her friend.

Danielle is startled at her friend's pale appearance. After recovering, she asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answers, avoiding eye contact.

"Edith…" she warns, not convinced at all.

The blonde knew it was a long shot. She just doesn't want her to worry about her. She's always thought of herself as a strong girl. But, with the pain and aches, and the emotional stress she's going through, Edith starts to doubt herself. She sits on a bench with a sigh and asks, "What's going on with me? I get these weird aches and pains from nowhere. The next thing I know, I suddenly can bend like putty and throw balls like bullets. And all my feelings seem to have amplified tenfold; my happiness, my remorse, and my rage. You saw it out there."

"Yeah. For a minute there, you looked almost…murderous. It was scary." Realizing what she said, Danielle quickly says, "I-I mean, it just looked like it. I know you would never ever kill anyone." She smiles to try and lighten the mood but fails.

"Thanks anyway, Danielle," Edith mutters, eyes downcast.

The raven-haired girl has never seen her friend like this. Even when she was depressed, she hid it. Maybe she's right about her emotions.

Needing to do something to get her out of her funk, Danielle sits next to her and says, "Why don't you go to the nurse's office? I'm sure they can help."

"Yeah, but I don't want to go if it's something insignificant."

"If what you say is true, then it's anything but insignificant."

With a final sigh, she promises, "Fine. I'll go after lunch."

One class period later, Danielle and Edith are heading to the lunchroom talking about anything besides the blonde's incidents. As they enter the large and boisterous room, Edith suddenly gasps and doubles over, face scrunched up in pain.

"Edith, what's wrong?" her friend asks worriedly.

"My back," she clarifies, bending back up. "It just started burning. Worse than before."

"Okay, that's it. We're going to the nurse's office **now**." She starts leading the blonde in the direction of the office, and Edith gives no protests.

"Hey, bitch!"

_Oh, not now, _the middle child thinks.

Brett walks over to the duo, a look of hate on his face. "I seriously did not like what you did in gym earlier."

"Alright Brett," Danielle defends, "none of us are in any mood right now, so please just beat it."

"Oh ho ho, not this time, skunk," he says, angering the teen. "Now move before I make you."

"That's enough Brett."

The teens that started gathering spread apart, letting Margo into the center. The bully scoffs and says to Edith, "What? Too much of a baby to defend yourself? Making your sister defend for you?"

"Back off, Brett."

All his comments are really annoying Edith now, but she's too much in agony to retaliate. The burning pain has spread across her body now, making her convulse. Now it definitely feels like something is growing out her back.

A large crowd has now congregated while the brute continues his harassment. "Aww, what's wrong? You gonna cry to your mommy now?"

Margo says, "I've just had about enough of you. Now get out of my sights or-"

"Or what? You rat me out, teacher's pet?"

While the two duke it out, Danielle notices her friend shivering even more. She seriously needs to get to a nurse. She grabs the girl's shoulders and says, "C'mon Edith, let's go."

Instead of answering, she collapses on the ground, much to her friend's surprise. Her back has become a burning inferno. Edith never thought anyone could experience this much pain. It feels like her bones are shifting and altering uncomfortably from their original positions. Her vision is starting to black out, and her mind is so racked with agony that she can barely think.

"Ha ha! Look at her now! She's so scared she can't stand up!" the bully points out, not realizing he's the only one laughing.

"SHUT UP!" the blonde yells, looking at him with burning eyes. Brett instantly stops and takes a step back, greatly bothered at her fury.

Edith clutches her head and grinds her teeth, wishing with every fiber for the pain will stop. Something inside now seems to be moving outward, intensifying the agony. She can feel the skin tearing as it's stretched beyond its capacity. Blood starts dripping down her back, staining her shirt and spooking all of the spectators. She can't handle it anymore; she reaches her breaking point.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

With a bloodcurdling scream, two large wings black as shadow rip out of her back, flinging skin, muscle, and blood around the girl. Everyone yelps from the grotesque sight as they jump away from the splash zone. Some people faint from the sight, including Brett. Margo and Danielle stare, agape and disturbed, at Edith's sudden transformation. "What the…" the older sister gasps as the slightly soggy wings flutter a bit, shaking off bits of flesh stuck on.

With tears streaming down her face, Edith gasps and takes hitched breaths, free from the appalling agony, though her back is severely sore. As she struggles back on her feet, the blonde suddenly feels something move on her back, like moving an arm from a different place. Startled and a little scared, she looks behind her and gasps when she spots the feathery appendages. Her mind starts to go blank as panic creeps up her mind. She doesn't think it's possible, but when she thinks of them moving, the stretch out a bit before collapsing back. "No…no…" The middle child looks around only to see the same fear from the gym on everyone's face. With the fright piling on her, she takes a few tentative steps back before making a mad dash out of the school, leaving behind a bewildered friend and sister.

Unknown to anyone, the female agent watches the girl run away, completely stunned. _Oh…my…god._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

As Edith rushes out of the school in a panic, tears of pain and fear still falling, an insignificant shadow coming from a small bush moves around a bit, as if following the scared girl. To get a better look, two green orbs open up in the middle, and a few clicks originate from the silhouette upon seeing the black wings. The shadow then lifts up from the ground until it becomes 3-D with a slightly round body, wiry arms with large, three-clawed hands, thin legs with long, pointed feet, and two twisted antennas jutting out of its head. The head is spherical and has the same green orbs. The entire body is black, easily blending into the shade around the being.

The solid shadow makes the clicking noise again while it looks around for any nearby pedestrians. It scurries off, like a rat, to deliver the message to its master, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Anyone who notices the being would think their eyes are playing tricks and making the shadows move.

Soon, the suburban around the creature turn into a towering city, old and new architecture mixing together in one area. The shadow climbs up one building without breaking a sweat and starts hopping from roof-to-roof, its body flattening a bit to glide. Down below, cars blaze through the streets and people chatter as they walk. Their ignorance of what is really around them would make the shadow grin in delight, if it had a mouth. It makes a left turn by gliding across the intersection and continues sprinting. The buildings start to become old and raggedy as the shadow enters the neglected part of town. Hardly anyone comes to this place, except for construction workers cleaning up or teens looking for a place to hang and make stupid bets. This section makes a great place for those alienated from civilization.

With one final jump, the shadow lands back on the broken pavement road and starts slowing as it nears an abandoned UFO-shaped football stadium. With its rusting metal, crumbling concrete and tattered flags billowing in the breeze, anyone with a right head would know to walk away. But the shadow knows what the building is, or more specifically, what's _underneath_. The being stops at the entranceway where there used to be double doors, the ominous feel of the building affecting its mind. Before it decides on anything, a battle axe smacks him on the head, and the shadow crumples on the ground. Two shadow guards in bulky armor, one holding the axe, the other a war hammer, walk up and each take an arm, and carrying the dazed creature inside.

The stadium doesn't look any better within. The grass of the football field is tall and unkempt, old trash is littered everywhere, the seats are either broken with stuffing popping out or missing entirely. One goal post has fallen, leaving behind twisted, deadly metal bits where it stood. The guards walk onto the field and one pulls on a small patch of grass. It lifts up like a trapdoor, revealing a stone staircase vanishing into the darkness. Without an ounce of fear, they drag the shadow down the winding stairs.

Later, in what seems like hours in the total darkness, the three come to a stone tunnel lit with old fashion torches. The fire itself is eerie enough; it glows a spine-chilling green, sending unsettling normal shadows flickering. The guards soon come to a wooden door with a metal frame, and one opens it to reveal a cathedral-sized room with columns on either side. On each column is a single torch lit with the same green fire, illuminating the middle pathway but leaving the walls and ceiling hidden in gloom. Despite it being dark, menacing hisses and whispers still echoes from the shadows, and thousands of soul-sucking green eyes float around. When they hear the door creak open, the eyes turn to the guards as they drag the creature toward the other side of the room. At the end are steps with a rock throne sitting on top, the backrest reaching high up and topped with a large crown of spikes, where a large black crow sits, its beady eyes staring at the three.

Currently, the throne is occupied.

The woman watches as the guards come closer, her calm demeanor unsettling. They stop a little away from the first step and toss the small shadow onto the ground. He grunts on impact and looks up at the leader, quivering a bit from her unnerving stare.

"What brings you here, servant?" she asks in a sophisticated tone.

After a few clicks, the uneasy shadow answers, "Your Wickedness, what I bring is some news that will surely please you."

"Another Special for me to dispose of? Or better yet, that little ice witch's whereabouts, or her orphanage?"

"No, your Evilness. I believe it to be much greater."

The being waits patiently, making the shadow fidget even more.

"I have found the key to your success. I-I have found the Angel."

Immediately, jumbled hisses and chatter erupt in the room, their excitement glowing in the darkness. They start becoming fidgety, but it all goes quiet when the leader raises her hand.

She gets up from her chair, her long black cloak dispersing around her feet. "Well, well. After all these years. So tell me, who is the Angel?"

"Well-well, she had th-this hat, yeah; a hat, a-and…l-light hair. She hand boots…and a shirt, and pants, a-a-and…oh! Large. Large wings! Looked like crows! And…well…" The shadow suddenly stiffens, and he looks down to see a green fire needle piercing its chest. The being, having grown tired of his babbling, has pointed a finger and shot the needle at it.

The shadow explodes into wisps before disintegrating. In its place is a glowing green orb with darker green swirls moving inside. The witch summons the ball into her slender fingers and says, "Now, reveal yourself, little Angel."

The ball expands in her hand and the shadows inside merge together. Soon, the image of a teary-eyed Edith appears on the screen, running away from the school, wings billowing behind her. The being chuckles at her grief and says, "My, she's a peculiar one. This is just too perfect. Soon, all will feel my wrath for all they've done, and little bitty Elsa will be powerless to stop me." As the minions cackle at the thought of chaos soon to come, she crushes the orb, and the green pieces clatter onto the floor.

* * *

_What's happening to me…?_

_This isn't possible…_

_What's going on…?_

_I'm a freak…_

_What will Margo think…?_

_What will my parents think…?_

_I got to find a way to get rid of them…_

_WHY DO I HAVE WINGS?!_

A million thoughts invade Edith's panicked head as she sprints down the sidewalk. She doesn't know what to do. Two giant black wings are growing out of her back, there's no denying it. But it's not possible. Only birds can grow wings, so how is it even possible?

Her back is burning furiously where the wings are connected. She hasn't been able to properly clean and cover it, so the flesh is still exposed, and some blood still drips down her back. The wound flares up whenever she moves her wings, but she doesn't know how to make them stop. She doesn't even know how she's moving them. Luckily, there isn't anyone out to see the hysteric, bleeding bird-girl.

_I have to get home. Someone there should help me._

The blonde takes a turn and heads into the suburban part of town. A few dogs stuck in the backyard pack at her, but she ignores them. If she wasn't too busy worried about her transformation, Edith would be marveling at how fast she's running and how far she sprinted without tiring.

The middle child takes another turn and crashes into a few trash bins, knocking her over and spraying garbage everywhere. To add to her misfortune, she skids on her tender back.

"Aaaahhh!" She does a sharp intake as pieces of concrete and pebbles dig into the gash. Any gash that was dry has cracked and returned bleeding. With new tears filling her eyes, the blonde gets up and continues her way to the house, ignoring the trash and blood spot on the ground.

She soon spots the dark house and runs even faster, her hope for answers rising. When Edith stops on the stone porch, she practically rips the door off its hinges while trying to open it. Running from one room to another she calls out, "Hello? Lucy? Gru! Are you here? Gru!" She continues searching every inch of the house, becoming more desperate with each second. "Dad! Mom, Dad! Please be here! I need you. Please."

She has checked every single room in the house and there is no sign of her parents. The blonde looks down and leans on the wall only to launch off of it, gasping in pain. "Oh. Right."

Suddenly, footsteps reach her desperate ears. She looks down the hall and spots one of the minions, Dave, walking over, looking at a report in his tiny hands. Hope rekindling, she grins and shouts, "Dave!"

The minion looks up and is shocked to see Edith, who's supposed to be in school, running toward him. It shocks him more to see black wings on her back.

"Dave, thank god! I need you tell me where mom and dad are. I-I mean, Gru and Lucy," she says.

He doesn't listen, still mesmerized by the wings.

"Dave." She snaps her fingers in front of the minion's face. "Listen! Gru and Lucy; where are they? This is important."

She waves a hand in front of his face. "Hey, just tell me where they are! C'mon!" She is getting seriously annoyed by his lack of attention. The blonde sighs and says, "Alright, take a good long look at them." She stretches the wings out a bit, somehow, so he gets a better view. "Happy?"

He doesn't answer, so Edith slaps him across the face, grips his shoulders, and shouts, "Gru and Lucy! Where are they?!"

"Oh! Uh, Mela tu lukumano ecka le stropa," he finally says, but Edith isn't happy about it.

"Ugh, they just had to be at the store." She bows her head and sighs. Then, Dave says, "Bota, Nefario do atuta labba."

Her head shoots back up when in realization and exclaims, "Dr. Nefario! Of course! Thank you, Dave!" She hugs him and gives him a quick kiss on the forehead before rushing to the living room. The minion turns around and asks, "Whata wot kala winiga?"

Once the elevator is ready, Edith hops on and heads down to the secret lab, where Dr. Nefario is busy with some new inventions.

"Alright, now hold still. This shouldn't hurt a bit," the old man says as he lifts up a rifle-like weapon with a cylinder where the ammo clip would be. In front of him are a shivering minion and a test dummy behind him. _Please work. Please work. Please work. Please work,_ the minion mutters in his head.

The inventor points the weapon at the minion and reassures, "Don't worry. This should easily move around you and hit the dummy." After getting a good aim, he says, "Alright, here we go." He pulls the trigger, and bluish-white electrical energy shoots out of the barrel. The minion stutters as the bolt flies toward him, waiting for it to go around him. Unfortunately, it hits the small yellow man square in the chest. He dances a bit as electricity courses through his body before launching up into the air with a cry, all the while the scientist watches with a straight face. He looks down at the weapon and mutters, "Might need to tweak this a bit."

"Dr. Nefario!"

He looks up and spots the middle child of the family running toward him. "Edith? Aren't you supposed to be in school? What are you doing here?"

"Dr. Nefario, I need your help," she pleas.

"With what?"

"Look at me!"

The doctor takes a closer look at her wings then guesses, "Oh. Are you in theatre now?"

She stares at the man with disbelief and ask, "What? No! I have wings growing out of my back! I…I don't know what to do! I mean, what's happening to me? What's going on?" She starts hyperventilating, but Nefario quickly says, "Okay, just calm down. Why don't we take a look at it?" He leads the girl to a table and helps her up. He then looks at her red back and cuts off the torn fabric surrounding the wings. Upon seeing the bloody mess, he grimaces and suggests, "Well, first off, we should clean this wound up before we do anything else."

The blue suburban car drives up to Gru's house, where a section of the front yard was lifted. They drive through, the door shutting behind them, and parks next to the motorcycle. The couple exits the vehicle, and Gru carries the large container of plutonium while Lucy grabs the bags of metal scraps. When minions run up to the duo, she hands them the bags, and they excitedly jabber as they head to the blacksmith room. "Oh, the things they get excited about," Lucy says.

"Yeah no kidding."

They head to the main part of the lab and Gru calls, "Dr. Nefario! I got your plutonium! Dr. Nefario?"

"Maybe he's busy," she suggests.

"Most likely he's old."

"He may be old, but he sure can still make a laser death weapon in ten min-what the?"

In front of them is Dr. Nefario at the large computer, tapping out different commands and Edith in nothing but her bra, pants, and a bandaged torso lying on a metal table, two wings extending out. "Would you hurry up? The table's cold," Edith whines.

"Just a few more second. We're almost done."

"Edith?"

The said-girl looks up in shock and spots her two parents frozen. With a sheepish smile, she says, "Hey, mom and dad. You're home. Trust me; this is not what it looks like."

"Edith, you're supposed to be in school. What are you doing here? Why is your torso bandaged? And why do you have wings? Does Margo know?" Gru asks.

Lucy recaps, "What's going on?"

"That is what we're going to find out, Lucy," Dr. Nefario says before pressing a button. A ray of light appears at the feet of the table and glides across Edith. After a moment, two sheets of paper print out of the computer, and the inventor rips them out and inspects the findings. "Remarkable," he breathes.

"What? What is it?" Gru asks.

Edith hops off the table and begs, "Please tell me you can fix it."

"Well, in all my life, I have never seen anything as incredible as this."

"Cut to the chase, gramps."

He opens his mouth to answer, but what instead comes out is Margo's voice. "Edith!" Everyone turns around and sees the oldest coming into the lab. She jumps off the platform and runs to her sister, hugging her tightly. "Edith, are you alright?"

"No, no I'm not. You're hurting my back!"

"Oh! Sorry." She lets go and chuckles awkwardly when her sister gives her a glare.

"Margo, what are you doing here and not at school?" their father asks, a little miffed.

"I came to check on Edith, and to find out what's happening to her." She turns to the old man and asks, "Do you know?"

"Yes, I do."

He places the sheets down and puts a command on the large computer. A black and green 3-D picture of Edith's skeleton appears, and Dr. Nefario starts explaining while waving a pointer, "Take a look yourself. This here," he taps on the picture, turning it 180 degrees, "is the backside of young Edith. And these, right here," he points to two bone plates, "are her shoulder blades."

"Oh god."

Margo points out, "They don't look anything like normal shoulder blades."

It's true; the blades are much larger, and squarer than triangular, in comparison to a regular person's shoulder blades. They stretch from shoulder to almost down to the lowest rib bone, and they're closer to the spine than normal. In fact, the blades cover almost the whole backside rib cage. There are also a series of bird-like bones stretching out from the inner part of the shoulder blades and new, smaller bones they are unfamiliar with.

"Correct. One, they are much, much larger, and two, they are connected to the bone structure of Edith's newly grown wings. Now, I can deduct that, for the blades immense size, they are to help manage the wings' mass. It also seems that the ulna of the wings—that's these bones—is connected at these points of the shoulder blades." He points to the inner bones of the wings then to the vertices of the blades that are closest to the spine. "It also appears that new bones have been developed to further aid for the extra weight, and possibly more mobility."

"Alright, but how did she get them?" Lucy asks.

"Good question." The doctor retracts the pointer and continues, "My hypothesis is that something inside of Edith turned on a dormant gene and it has redeveloped the back side bone structure and started the growth of the wings. But, since the gene was inactive during her embryo stage, the wings has been growing underneath the developed skin and muscle layers. When the process was done, there was very little space inside the body left, so they just popped out. And here we are with a winged Edith."

"That might explain why your back was hurting earlier," Margo states while turning to her sister, who has her head in her hands. "My head hurts."

"Yes; it is a lot to take in. But, it is just a hypothesis. I mean, this is a marvelous breakthrough in genetic science. There could be another explanation for the bizarre transformation. What I do not understand is what triggered the gene to activate. Maybe with a bit more testing and experimenting-"

"No!" the sisters shout.

Dr. Nefario shrugs his shoulders and mutters, "Suit yourself."

"But," Edith starts, "you can you take them off, right?"

"Well, you see, Edith, your wings—how should I put this?—are a part of you, flesh and blood. Removing them would be like amputating your arm or leg. They could leave nasty scars if taken off."

Edith sighs gloomily, and Margo reassuringly pats her shoulder. "So I'm forever a freak now," the blonde says.

Lucy gives her a hug while saying, "Of course not, sweetie. Nobody will think you as a freak."

"Have you seen today's society?"

"Besides," adds Margo, "having wings can't be that bad. Imagine how excited Agnes would be when she sees them. She'll probably call you an angel."

She scoffs at the ludicrous of the statement. "Yeah, like I've ever been an angel. How many angels have you seen with wings black as shadow?"

"An Angel of Darkness?" Gru says, receiving frustrated looks. "Heh. Not helping."

Despite all their reassurance, Edith can't help but still feel gloomy. Yes, she wanted to stand out a bit, but this is going too far. Now, she would do anything to get rid of them. Even sell her soul to the devil. (She hopes it will never come to that).

The oldest sees that the wings are still troubling her sister. She sits next to her and comforts, "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure Nefario will find a _safe_ way to get rid of the wings."

"Right. Safe," the doctor repeats, albeit a little gloomily.

"Until then, we just have to figure out how to hide the wings, especially at school."

"Oh geez, the school!" Edith panics. "They all saw them! Oh man, what am I going to do?"

"Whoa, whoa Edith, slow down. Don't worry. It was Fish Taco Friday today. You know how bad those fish messes with the mind. We'll just say it was a hallucination on Monday and none will be the wiser. Simple as that."

The middle child immediately calms down after hearing her sister's plan. She rubs her face in relief and mutters, "Thank god you're the smart one. But, what am I going to tell Dani, though? I don't want to lie to her."

The mother says, "Then just tell her the truth."

* * *

"Oh my god, I can't believe this!" Danielle screams.

It's Saturday and Edith finally told her best friend about her issue. She would've told her yesterday, but she wasn't feeling well after the whole ordeal, so her parents let her stay home and rest. Dr. Nefario also created a small cloaking device currently wrapped around the part where her wings meet her back. It's able to hide the wings from sight, but she still has to be careful in crowded spaces, as her wings aren't intangible. And now, she has to where shirts with an opening on the back. Problem with that is it leaves her bandages exposed.

Now, after Edith found her friend walking around town, she expected her to either be shocked or thrilled; she did not expect her to full-out blow in excitement and ranting meaningless things. "All this time, I've been looking everywhere…I knew the person was here. Who would've believed…? She was standing right beside me! She's my friend!"

"Danielle!" she shouts, snapping her back. "What are you talking about?"

As if by a switch, all of her excitement is suddenly replaced with uncertainty. She starts biting her lips and averting her eyes so she isn't looking at her friend.

"Danielle, what are you hiding?"

The said-girl blows out air then says, "Alright. I haven't been totally honest with you, Edith."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, I'm not exactly…a normal…person. There's this secret…"

"What secret?"

The raven-haired girl looks around before gripping her friend's wrist, saying, "Here, c'mon." She pulls Edith into an alley so no one will notice. After backing up a bit, she says, "I'll show you, just don't freak out."

"Don't worry; I've done enough freaking out yesterday."

"Okay." Danielle closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Suddenly, two white rings appear around her midsection, shocking the blonde back. They suddenly split and replace her clothing with a two-piece hazmat suit, the top bipolar colors and the bottom black with white cuffs that swirl upward. Her shoes are switched with white sturdy boots and her hands are now covered with gloves, one white with black tips and the other black with white tips. On her shirt is a symbolized D with the edges swirled, looking like a winter breeze. Wrapped around her neck is a black choker with a skull attached. When the ring covers her hair, they turn white as pure snow, with the exception of the black streak. When Danielle opens her eyes, they now glow radioactive green instead of the usual ocean blue.

When the transformation is done, Edith stares at her friend, completely shocked. Danielle smiles a bit and presents her a bit more.

"Who…when…what is this?"

"It's my ghost half."

"You mean…"

"Yeah. I'm part ghost."

The blonde finally snaps out of her stupor and asks, "Why did you not tell me? This is amazing! Think of all the stuff we can do! Imagine all the pranks we could do to everyone!"

"Whoa, Edith! That's part of the reason why I never told anyone. Some people tend to abuse it."

"Oh. Heh, sorry."

"No worries. The other reason is that a friend of mine said that I will need to protect an angel from some evil until the proper aid arrives, though I don't know who. So I kept my powers hidden until I found her."

"You mean me?"

"I guess." She transforms back to her original self and says, "Now that you know my secret, I was wondering if, possibly, I could see your wings?"

_Yeah, should've seen that coming._ Edith checks behind her to see if anyone is in view, then she removes the cloaking device, letting her wings materialize.

"Whoa. That's just cool."

"Not really. I know I wanted to stand out, but I never meant this."

Danielle walks closer to get a better look and says, "You know, they actually look beautiful, when they're not covered in blood and tissue."

The blonde takes a look herself and says, "I don't see it."

"Imagine what they would look like in the sky."

"Well, keep dreaming, because I am not going to fly." She reattaches the device and walks out of the alleyway, followed by her persistent friend. "Oh, come on. Every kid dreams of flying high in the sky."

"Yeah, but I want to fly inside of a jet, not with two extra appendages."

"Oh please, what difference would it make?"

"Edith?"

Hearing her name called, the said-blonde turns around, along with Danielle. They find a woman with platinum blonde hair in a side braid and looking like it was blown over, crystal blue eyes, and a warm smile. She wears a light blue shirt that looks as if it was made of tiny ice crystals, a jacket with snowflake patterns, and denim jeans with high-heel shoes.

Edith says, "Uh, hello. Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you. I'm Elsa Arstider," she greets, shaking the girl's hand.

Danielle leans in and whispers, "Stranger danger." The blonde pushes away from her face. She then says, "Well, it was nice meeting you, but we need to go now."

They start walking away from the lady when she calls, "Hold on, Edith! I want to talk to you."

"Sorry! Not listening! Busy walking away."

Chasing after them, she continues, "Look, I know you're confused and scared right now-"

"Don't know what you're talking about!"

"If you'll just let me explain-"

"La la la la la la la la…"

"I know why you have wings, Edith!"

The blonde instantly freezes on the spot, a look of shock, fright, and hope implanted on her face. She looks at her friend, who is staring at the woman, mildly stunned herself. She then turns to look at her as well, seeing if she was lying. But Elsa seems to be telling the truth. "How do you know?"

Smiling, she answers, "I've been keeping an eye on you, making sure you're safe."

"From what, exactly?" Danielle asks.

The woman looks around a little nervously, which confuses the two girls as she was confident earlier. She finally says, "It's best I don't tell you now. But, if you want to know more about us, and yourself, come to my place." She hands the younger blonde a small business card. Examining it, Edith finds that there's nothing on it except for Elsa's name and an address she's unfamiliar with. She looks suspiciously at the woman and asks, "Why should I go here? Why should I even trust you?"

Smiling again, Elsa extends a hand toward the two girls, making them curious. In an instant, small snowflakes start swirling around her palm, and an ice crystal materializes in the center. To say the girls were shock would be an understatement.

"Because I'm like you. I hope to see you soon," is all she says before ridding the crystal and walking away. Edith watches her go, looks back at the card, and back to her, wondering if she really is who she says. _Can she really explain this to me?_ _Hmm._

* * *

**Okay, I lied. Answers are not in this chapter. But that gives you another chance to guess who the agents and Special are. Also, you can try to guess who the dark woman is. Hint: she's from a Disney classic. Hints for the others are in the previous chapter. Next chapter will be updated after 10+ reviews are posted. Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Inside a military base in northern California, hidden from the people in the US and even the government, men and women of all ranks are busy at working, keeping an eye on the sky or interpreting notable missions. One man walks through the aisle while examining some paperwork and carrying a cup of hot coffee. Once done, he walks into another room, where a large man sits behind a desk, reading a recent briefing. The younger man hands the general his papers and leaves, letting him read in peace. He exhales through his nose and shakes his shaved head, clearly disappointed. He gets up, his many medals glinting from the sunlight, and walks into the fray of chatter, beeps, and clatter, putting on his hat. Before continuing his walk, the general stops at a soldier watching a screen. "Got anything from the drone, sergeant?"

"Negative, sir," he replies.

He nods and marches away. Exiting the base, he takes a turn and heads to the landing fields, where a few helicopters are currently hovering over. Once the birds' landing gear touches ground, Marines hop off and go their separate ways depending on their next task, either briefing, training, or resting. Two men, one a private, the other a sergeant, walk up to the general and salute.

"Lieutenant Callous, nice to see you back," the general says, saluting back. He turns to the lower rank man and says, "I don't think we've met before."

"This is Private Jonathan Anders. He's just recently joined this branch."

The younger man says, "Please, call me Jon."

The general shakes his head and says, "Welcome to the Marines, Jon. I'm General Harver Butch."

"Glad to be here, sir."

The three start walking to the cafeteria, since it's almost lunch. On the way, Butch asks Callous, "So, the mission was unsuccessful."

"Unfortunately, sir. It was just a dead end."

He groans and rubs his forehead. "This being is proving to be more of a hassle than I thought."

"Has the AVL sent any news about the person?"

"No, lieutenant. They are just as much in the dark as we are. Excused."

"Yes sir." He walks away from the group to talk to some friends. General Butch was about to walk to his quarters when he notices that the private hasn't left. "Isn't there somewhere you should be?"

"Actually, sir, I was wondering if I can ask you a question."

"Alright."

"What are looking for, exactly?" he asks.

"Well, private, we received a message from the Anti-Villain League about a series of homicidal kills from an unknown individual only referred to as the 'Great Evil'. We are trying to descramble the message and locate the origins of the perpetrator."

"Isn't that for the police force, sir?"

"It would, if these kills weren't happening world-wide. For all we know, this culprit could be after the high powers of the world for some twisted plot of his. So, for now, the Marines are doing everything to stop this man. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"You're excused."

The private leaves for the lunchroom, and Butch starts heading to his room when another man holding a small manila folder runs up to him. "Sir," he salutes.

"Sergeant."

"We've received another murder report," he says, handing the older man the folder. Butch opens it and finds a picture of a man in an army uniform and information on the man. His brow crinkles in confusion and reads aloud, "Colonel James Broucher?"

"Yes sir."

He reads about the man, learning of his accomplishments and family, and stops at the line that tells of his death. 'MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS AND SLICED THROAT'.

"Where was he found?"

"In Venice, California, sir."

The general purses his lips then hands the sergeant the folder back. "Looks like I won't be having lunch soon. Get some men ready for the trip."

"Yes sir."

SLAM!

"Edith, you okay?" Danielle asks after her friend closes her locker.

"No, I'm not okay. I swear; people are staring at me, like they know my secret. They're just waiting for the right moment to knock me out and take me to a secret laboratory to do experiments on me!"

"Edith, you're paranoid. Nobody is even glancing at you."

She looks around and sees that it's true. Teens around her are just walking around, talking to their friends or are busy on their phone. She sighs and rubs her eyes, upset with herself. Even now, she still has trouble with accepting her newfound appendages. Even with Nefario's gadget working superbly, she can't help but feel that people can see them and are shunning her out. But, like Danielle said, it could just be her paranoia.

"Margo's excuse is working. People have no idea what's going on."

"I know, I know. It's just all…very unnerving. I never know if I'm going to end up like those freaks in the movies and get probed."

"Don't worry Edith. As long as I'm here, nobody's going to take you. It wouldn't be my first time going against the government."

"Say what now?"

"I never told you?"

"You never told me you were half ghost!" she whispers.

"Oh yeah," she mutters before guiltily smiling. "Heh heh."

The blonde girl smiles at her friend's folly. She may be a ghost superhero, but she is still just a C+ student. Grabbing her pack that's leaning against the lockers, she says, "C'mon; we should get to class now."

She nods and shoulders her backpack. The friends stroll down the hallway, chatting about their days, and the talking has calmed Edith's nerves. For a moment, she even forgot she has unnatural wings.

Down the hall, Margo talks to her friend when she spots her sister heading toward them. She excuses herself and walks over to Edith and says, "Hey Edith! You're looking better."

"Aren't I always?" she gloats.

"Not this morning, you weren't. Anyway, how's the excuse working?"

"Great. Nobody has a clue what's under their nose, even when it is under their nose. You are a lifesaver, Margo."

Now it was her turn to gloat. "Aren't I always?"

"Don't get comfortable. I was desperate, okay?"

The oldest chuckles a bit and says, "Well, I'll see you after school, then." She starts walking away when she accidently bumps into someone, and all the stuff that was in her arms drops. She starts picking up her books, and the stranger does the same, while she apologizes, "Ohh! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you walking by." Grabbing her last book, Margo looks up and she instantly recognizes the mop of black hair, brown eyes, and blue scarf. "On second thought," she says coldly, glaring at the boy before marching away. He tries to stop her, but the girl quickly disappears into the crowd.

Danielle, watching all this, asks, "Did I miss something? Why did your sister give the hot guy the cold shoulder?"

"That's Antonio. He was my sister's first crush/boyfriend. As you can probably tell, it didn't end so well."

"What happened?"

"He dumped her for another girl."

"Ooh. That's cold."

Antonio sighs as Edith walks up to him, and he says to her, "I just want to say I'm sorry. Why can't she give me a chance?"

"In her defense, you did shatter her heart at the fragile age of eleven," she says.

"Lo sé. And I feel really awful about it." He turns to Edith and asks, "Is there any way I can talk to her?"

"In time. That's all I can say," she says while patting him on the back. She then starts heading to her class when Antonio says, "Hold on, Edith. I want to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"I heard a rumor going around that you grew wings last Friday. Do you know what that's about?"

Edith's eyes widen and she starts shivering in fright. Danielle starts getting fidgety while she bites her lower lip. The Hispanic boy looks at the girls strangely and asks, "So…?"

"U-uh, n-no, I don't. It's just a rumor. I mean, do I look like I have wings?" she answers, chuckling nervously.

"Hmm. Well, okay," he says, though unsurely and not quite convinced.

"Yeah. Heh. I'll see you later." With her friend, they walk away, not looking back. Antonio was about to go too, but he then hears something strange. It's faint, but he swears he hears something cracking and crumbling. Turning around, the boy looks to the ceiling and sees a large piece shifting apart, and small shrapnel falls to the floor, where Edith stands. Gasping, he rushes over, shouting, "Edith, look out!"

Before the girl can react, he jumps and carries her away just as the ceiling collapses. Everyone turns when they hear the loud crash and find Edith and Antonio just out of reach of the trashed ceiling's radius. The two look back at the hazard, breathing hard as adrenaline floods into their system. "Wow. That was too close," the Hispanic mutters, getting up and helping Edith up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she says. The blonde hears some clicking, and she looks back to see something black whisks away, quickly vanishing out the doors. _What the…?_

"Okay then. Um, have a nice day." He leaves the girls alone as people start whispering about the incident. Danielle rushes in and panics, "Oh my god, Edith! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Oh man, I am the worst protector ever. That could've killed you!"

"Danielle, don't worry. It's alright. No one could have expected that." Taking a closer look at the ceiling, she finds that the pipes don't look broken or rusted, and the tiles don't look as crumbly. In fact, they look like they were sheared off. "But, it could have killed me." _Out of all the students, why me? _she thinks. She also wonders if it has something to do with what Elsa said. Or maybe it's the paranoia talking again.

After school, instead of heading home with Margo, she makes the excuse of needing some fresh air and heads out, Danielle on her heels. Ever since the ceiling incident, she's been sticking closer to her friend, which is starting to get on Edith's nerves. When Margo disappears, the middle child whips out the small card and starts heading to the address.

Now, the two friends stand in front of a slightly rundown building, surrounded by a fence with the sign that reads 'Private Property: Keep Out'. The building is two stories high with vines creeping up the walls, and there is a large wooden sign hanging from one chain. Some windows are cracked and dusted, except a few actually look clean. Very odd.

Altogether, it appears to be an old orphanage, and it gives Edith the chills. She isn't fond of orphanages.

"Edith, are you sure?" Danielle asks while staring at the building warily.

"I need to know. I don't think that accident was an accident. Someone, or something, is trying to get me."

"You specifically? You sure you aren't paranoid?"

"I'm sure. The ceiling didn't just break off—it was cut. And I saw a shadow or something run out of the building after it fell."

"Okay; maybe there issomeone after you. What makes you think Elsa can help you?"

"Danielle, you saw what she can do. She's different, like me. She even said so herself. If what she said is true, then she can tell me why I'm different and who's trying to kill me."

The ghost girl looks back at the fence uncertainly, wondering if this is worth it. "No changing your mind?"

"Nope," she smiles.

Exhaling through her nose, she says, "Fine. But one wrong move and I'm getting us out of there."

Edith nods and starts climbing over the fence, while Danielle turns into her ghost form and phases through. They walk up the stone steps and stop in front of the unusually clean door, feeling tenser. Danielle starts to reach for the doorbell only to find it missing from the wall.

"I guess we just walk in," Edith says. With one twist of the knob, she pushes the door open, emitting a squeak. The hallway is old but clean, just like the door, with rows of doorways leading to different rooms. It all looks normal enough, except for the blue arrows that twinkle in the dim lights. Is that ice?" Danielle asks.

"You think Elsa puts these here?"

"Wouldn't put it past me."

So, the friends follow them to the end of the hallway and turn to a right. They walk past a row of windows that show the sunny outside, and stop at another door. When the blonde opens it, the two find a stairway leading to a dark abyss. The ghost girl takes the lead, followed by Edith, down the stairs, and she lights up one of her hands with ecto-energy when it gets too dark.

Edith mutters, "Sweet."

"I know."

When they reach the floor, they were surprised of the clank it made, and closer inspection reveals it to be made of metal. The walls and ceiling are covered in the same metal, as well. "What is this place?" Danielle asks.

"Don't know. Some kind of old bunker, I guess. Probably a World War II air-raid bomb shelter."

"How do you know that?" she asks, shocked at her knowledge.

"Hey; if it blows, fires, or has anything to do with warfare, I'm your gal."

Her friend laughs as they walk through the bunker tunnel.

Inside, the girls pass by different entranceways that lead to more darkness and mystery. They find one closed door, but quickly find that it's locked. Next to it is a large entranceway twice the height of a normal person and has two solid steel doors with wheels in grooves on the floor. While the half-ghost continues walking down the hallway, Edith enters the room and tries to look past the darkness. She starts searching for a light switch on the walls when her hand feels a small lever. She pulls it up, and the sound of machines switching on echoes into the room, soon followed by small lights flicking on. Instantly, the two doors start closing, alerting the two girls. Edith tries to hurry out of the room, but the doors slams shut with a CLANG! The girl futilely tries to pry the doors then hits it with a fist in frustration. "Danielle!"

"Edith! You alright?" she shouts back, looking for a way to open the door.

"Yeah."

She puts her fingers between the cracks and tries to pry them apart, but even her super strength is not enough. "Goddamn. Don't worry; I'm going to get you out."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine in here. You just continue looking around the place."

"You sure?"

"I can handle myself."

"Alright." She checks the hallway for anything else to pop up before sauntering away.

Meanwhile, the blonde turns back to the room she's in. It's a very spacious room, much bigger than a football field. Apparently, it's so big they need thick stone columns to keep the ceiling from caving in. Besides the columns, there's not much else to the room. After observing the limited amount of the room she can see, the girl walks toward the center of the room, keeping an eye out for other surprises. The room looks empty enough, but there are still plenty of shadows to hide in, and she can't help but feel as if she's being watched.

Behind her, a large body scales up one column and keeps its bright green eyes on the girl. It growls as another being looks over its head, adjusting the bow in her hand. As silent as can be, she takes one arrow from her quiver and nocks it. She pulls back slowly, closing one eye to get a better aim. With one final breath, she releases the arrow.

It whizzes through the air, aimed for the girl's left shoulder. Before it can find its mark, the arrow bounces off her invisible wing, making the girl stumble surprisingly. She turns around and sees more menacing arrows flying right at her, but she dodges them all, using exquisite expertise from years of training. A few arrows were able to find their marks, but they hit her invisible wings and would harmlessly bounce off. _Tough wings,_ she thinks. _Maybe they're not that bad._

With a back flip, Edith tries to find out who's shooting at her when she sees the glint of another arrow. Thinking fast, she traps it between her hands just before it stabs her forehead. She sighs in relief, but she then hears a spine-chilling beeping sound. Looking at the back of the arrow, she finds a digital timer counting down, making her panic. The blonde throws the bomb arrow back and it explodes near the column, sending a large body falling. Before it can hit the ground, something grows out of its back, and the creature starts gliding across the room. "What? Are you serious?" the blonde asks before running away as more arrows fly at her. _Maybe I shouldn't have sent Danielle away._

The beast lands on another pillar and the person reaches for more arrows, but she only grasps empty air. Edith senses the change and slows down, looking back. Smiling, she shouts, "Out of arrows already? Too bad. I was just getting started." She starts chuckling, but she then hears a high-pitch whine. She looks up and sees the winged monster's mouth glowing bright blue with smoke filtering between the teeth.

_Oh no_.

It blasts a blue fireball, and the blonde starts running. When the burning projectile hits the ground, it sends a large explosion, sending the girl crashing into a wall. She groans as she pushes back up and growls, "A dragon. It had to be a dragon."

She looks up but finds that dragon and rider are gone. She looks around wildly at the ceiling while leaning against a column, but it looks like they've vanished.

_Oh-hoh no. I know you're not gone, you flying salamander. Now where are you? _

Too busy looking up, she doesn't notice someone walking behind her and hefting a weapon. She does notice a light reflection dancing on her hand, though. She realizes too late and tries to jump away, but the person swipes down, slicing the cloaking device. Edith feels something short-circuiting on her back and burning her as she skids back, as well as noticing her wings materializing and disappearing spontaneously. She turns to the scythe-wielding person and finds her already charging. The girl ducks under one swipe and jumps back again, trying to put some space between her and the attacker. Can't handle the burning anymore, she tears the gizmo off her back and throws it at her attacker. She ducks from the projectile and was about to slice Edith in half when she suddenly halts. Not wasting the moment, the blonde moves in and starts fighting back. She gets a few lucky punches until the scythe-wielder gains the upper hand, leaving Edith in the evasive. She backs up to try and get away from the sharp blade, but the girl keeps moving, not letting up her attacks. The blonde growls in annoyance as she tries to figure out how to make her falter so she can escape, but her focus starts disappearing as the fury she felt from the dodgeball game starts to take over. She wants nothing more than make the girl suffer.

_What is happening? This isn't me! I don't want to hurt her. Well, much. _The girl bends away from another attack and thinks, _I need to finish this before someone gets hurt, mainly her. I just don't know how to make her falter. Wait a minute; the wings!_

The scythe-wielder makes a wide arc around the size, but Edith quickly intercepts the attack with her wing and pushes the blade away with all her might. The two motions throw the shadowed girl off-guard, and the blonde grabs her scythe and punches her into a column in one motion, creating cracks in the stone and stunning her. With the deadly weapon in hand, the winged girl examines the deadly blade and finds that it feels comfortable. Smiling, she grips the handle and suddenly becomes curious on where to put the blade. Wait, no she's not curious. She's not a killer.

Hearing a groan, she looks back at the fighter stumbling as she tries to get her bearings corrected. So the wielder can't fight back again, Edith forcefully pushes her back and sticks the scythe into the granite, trapping the girl's neck in the crook of the handle and blade.

"There," she huffs, feeling the high adrenaline fading. "Now, time to get out of here."

Before she moves, she senses the air warming up, and there's a glow coming from behind her. The middle child turns around to find a ball of fire flying straight to her face. With a shout, she ducks underneath the fire attack and looks to where the glow is coming from. She finds a redhead girl in the shadow, her arms lit with orange and yellow flames. "What the hell?"

The girl smiles in a playful way and starts throwing more fireballs. But, having done fire training in her dad's lab, she expertly evades every attack and, in no time, comes face-to-face with the pyromancer. Before the redhead can do anything, Edith tackles the girl to the ground and starts twisting her arm behind her back.

"Ow, ow! Okay! You win! I give up. Uncle. Uncle!"

Shocked, she let's go of the girl's arm and jumps off. The girl gets up and rubs her sore arm, and says, "Man, you don't hold back. I thought my arm was going to pop off."

"W-what? B-but You…I…" she sputters, too confused to make complete sentences.

Lights suddenly flash on, illuminating the rest of the room and almost blinding Edith. She hears light chuckling behind her and find Elsa majestically walking toward them. "My. I knew you were good in combat, but that was astonishing."

"No kidding."

Turning around, the blonde finds another person walking out from behind a column, this one having fire-red hair beyond wild and a bow in her hand. In a Scottish accent, she says, "That was a nice catch, by the way. Even though it was an explosive. What do you think, Hiccup?"

A man walks out this time and answers, "She exceeded my expectations, that's for sure."

"What? W-why…but…" Growling, she can't take the weirdness of the situation anymore and shouts, "What's going on here?!"

"Well, Edith, consider this like a trial. I wanted to see what you were capable of," Elsa answers.

"But I came here for an explanation. Not a stupid death battle!" she seethes.

"Whoa whoa!" The redhead gets in between the two girls and says, "Don't go yelling at Elsa. If it means anything to you, it was my idea, okay? I was curious at what you could do. Sorry."

"And you are?"

Before she answers, the oldest of the group says, "This is my sister, Anna."

"Nice to meet you," she says, shaking Edith's hand.

"This is Merida." She motions to the frizzy redhead.

"Hello," she waves.

"This is Hiccup."

"Hey," the dark auburn-haired man says.

"And these are the two newest recruits: Maka and Soul Eater."

Edith turns and finds that Maka is the girl that tried to shred her with a scythe. She looks irked about something, and she's avoiding eye contact. It's maybe because she almost beheaded her. Next to her is a boy with a shock of white spiky hair and bright red eyes. "Soul Eater?" the blonde repeats, smirking. "Cool name."

"Thanks," he smiles, showing razor-sharp shark teeth. She finds that even more cool. "Awesome wings."

_Sure they are,_ she thinks. "Alright, now that I know everyone's name, I have one question: What is this place?"

"This is the home and facility for people who are like us," Elsa says. "I travel around the world and bring them here to train and stay safe from those who can harm them."

"Wait, wait, wait. 'People like us'? 'Those who can harm them'? 'Train'? This is making no sense! Elsa, I came for answers, not more questions," Edith states, crossing her arms.

The platinum blonde woman sighs and clasps her hands together, looking around once. She turns back to the waiting child and says, "I guess it'd be best if I start from the beginning."

Edith waves at her to continue.

"For as long as anyone can remember, there have been people different from everyone else. People with extraordinary abilities. Some places, they were respected. But in most of the world, they were feared and hunted down. The regular people would torture and killed in the most horrible ways. They all thought we were evil and offspring of the devil. So, we started hiding and tried to live a normal life. But sometimes it doesn't work. That's what I'm here for. I look for the special people that need help and I give them a home and a way for them to control their abilities."

Edith glances away from the ice master, mulling over what she said. "By extraordinary abilities…"

"Powers. Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis, transformations, flight and more. Anyone with a power is called a Special."

"So does that mean all of you are Specials?"

Elsa says, "Yes. And so are you."

"Me? But-no. No, I can't be one. I mean, how do you know it's not a weird mutation or something like that?"

"That's just what it is! The reason you have wings, and how we all have powers, is because of a mutation in our genes! That's what makes us different from everyone else. Something inside us turned on and gave us talents that people can only dream of having."

The younger blonde sighs and grips her head, and Hiccup says, "I know; it's a lot to take in."

"Okay, let's assume I am a Special. So there are a bunch of Specials all over the world that forgave the past sins and we don't know it?"

"Well, yes, but…" the mood seems to have gone dark, confusing the girl, "There are some Specials that don't forgive the people as we do. They pretty much turn evil and try to find a way to take control or rid the world of those who aren't like us, labeling them as flawed. Those we call the Fallens.

"When we have to, we fight the Fallens so the world can continue in its peace. There are other groups, like us, that help all over the world. But our numbers are starting to dwindle. They will do anything to get Specials to join their cause, making them Fall. If they don't join, the Fallens consider them flawed, just like the humans, and will destroy them by any means. That is why I have scoured the entire planet, looking for Specials to join the cause, if they're ready."

Edith instantly thinks of the incident back at school, when the piece of the ceiling fell on the spot where she was. The tile and pipes looked cut, not corroded like the principal claimed. If it wasn't for Antonio, she would most likely be buried six feet under now. But, the incident can't be connected to what Elsa told her, or can it? The young girl doesn't know anyone who would want her dead.

"So…that's why you came to me."

"Yes, because you are a Special. And a powerful one at that. In all my life, I have never met anyone like you."

"But you said you were making sure I was safe. From what? I want to know."

Elsa and Anna glance at each other, looking nervous. Edith looks around and finds that everyone else is looking the same way. Maka and Soul are the exception, as both look confused as she is.

Elsa finally says, "Like I said before; you are a powerful Special. It would have been strange if I'm the only one who is aware of you. As far as I know, there is one other person who is after you, and that person is far from good."

"Who is this person?"

Anna steps in and answers, "We don't exactly know. He or she has been super elusive. Right now, we just call him or her the Great Evil."

"This Great Evil is trying to kill me?"

"Actually, I don't know that either," the winter controller says. "That would make sense the most, but I have been studying this Fallen and I can deduct that he or she is looking for a special key. And, I believe that the key is you, Edith."

"Why me?"

"When I travelled the world, I have seen many different powers Specials' possess. But I have never seen one nearly similar to you. You're one of a kind. Your powers are immeasurable. In the war, you could be the greatest savior for all species, or you can be the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. That's why I invited you here. We can protect you from the Great Evil, like one big family. I can also help you learn and control your powers, Edith."

"No."

Her blunt statement catches everyone off-guard, especially Elsa. "No? But Edith, why? I can help you use your powers to their fullest extent."

"I don't want powers. I don't want these wings! I never asked for any of this! All of this makes no sense! It's just too crazy for me! I just want to be my normal self." The blonde starts walking away from the shocked group as she finishes, "That is why, at the first chance, I am getting rid of these wings."

"Edith, nothing can change who you are. It'll be easier for you to accept your powers instead of concealing them," the woman says while she chases after her.

"Forget it! The wings have given me enough trouble as it is. The sooner I can get back to a normal life, the better."

When the young girl is close to the doors, Elsa makes one final attempt. She gently clasps the girl's wrist, and Edith can feel her skin is cold, but it's a soothing cold. She looks back and sees the platinum blonde woman looking at her with almost begging eyes. "At least think about it, alright? Nothing good can come from concealing what you are. Trust me; I know." Her eyes suddenly look forlorn when she looks away, as if remembering something tragic. Edith has never seen anyone look this pitiful before, not even from her sister when her heart was broken. She really wants what's best for the girl, but she just can't accept it. "I'm sorry, Elsa. But, I'm just not ready for this. I don't know if I'll ever be."

The Cryomancer nods once. "Alright. Before you go, I want to give you this." She reaches into her back pocket and places a silver ring bracelet in the winged girl's hand. It looks simple, though unhooked, and Edith wonders why the woman would give it to her.

"Hiccup made the bracelet. As long as you wear it, your wings will stay hidden and become intangible, so no one will be able to feel them. An upgraded version to your scientist's cloaking device, you could say."

She gives the jewelry one last glance then places it on her right wrist, clicking it shut. Blue light veins through the bracelet and disappears, leaving behind a slight chill in her back. Looking behind, the blonde sees that her wings have disappeared again, like Nefario's invention, only this time, when she waves her hand where her wings would be, she can't feel anything except an almost undetectable cold.

"Promise me you'll think about it, Edith," Elsa asks.

The said girl looks away, not trusting herself to look at her eyes, but she gives a nod of affirmation and walks to the doors that have opened at some point.

Maka finally speaks for the first time, muttering to her albino friend, "All I can say is; good riddance. It would have been a mistake to have her here. Nothing good ever comes when a dark angel is involved."

Unbeknownst to the scythe wielder, Edith heard every word, though she doesn't know how and she doesn't care. The burning anger and lust for pain returns, but she keeps it in check and instead clenches her fist until her knuckles turn white. But, she doesn't turn around; she doesn't strike the girl's face. She instead walks forward briskly with her head down and her eyes full of fury.

A smiling Danielle appears, still in her ghost form, holding a small stash of food in her arm. "Edith, you would not believe the size of the kitchen that's here. It was bigger than my apartment!"

"C'mon, Danielle. We're leaving," The winged girl commands as she walks by the now-confused half-ghost.

"Wha-what? What happened?" she asks, looking back in the room where the Specials are then at her steaming friend. She looks back at Elsa one last time before catching up to the blonde.

Anna, walking up to her sister, points at the ghost girl and asks, "Was that my chocolate?"

* * *

**Me: The Specials are revealed! I'd like to thank all of those who participated in my little game. I'd thought it'd be fun.**

**Edith: And we'd like to congratulate Adrianna for having correctly guessed three out of the five Specials. So... wait, what does she get again?**

**Me: Your stash of cookies.**

**Edith: WHAT?! Oh, no she doesn't!**

**Anna: As long as she doesn't touch my chocolate.**

**Me: Kidding! She actually gets to choose a Special she wants in my next story, whether an OC or a character she likes. If it's a character you like, just PM me the name and the Special power(s) he/she will have. If it's an OC, PM me a profile of the character: their looks, their past, their powers, etc, and you'll see him/her in the sequel. Congratulations.**

**Edith: See ya next chapter! It's where things get really exciting.**


End file.
